By Jonathan White, photos by Peter Robinson
Dabbers Women dominate again with back-to-back wins over Congleton Town Ladies
Nantwich Town FC Women delivered another commanding performance on Sunday 26th January 2025, defeating local rivals Congleton Town Ladies 6-2 at the Swansway Stadium in the Cheshire Women’s & Youth Football League Premier Division. The victory marks their second in as many weeks against Congleton, following last weekend’s emphatic 7-0 away triumph.
The afternoon began with a tight contest, as Congleton struck first to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Dabbers showed resilience, with Amanda Fallon equalising just before the halftime whistle to send the teams into the break locked at 1-1.
The second half saw Nantwich step into high gear, taking control of the match with a relentless attacking display. Jade Buckley-Ratcliff opened the floodgates with two quick goals to give the Dabbers a 3-1 lead. Alicia Hatton added a fourth before Fallon and Hatton each grabbed their second goals of the day to make it 6-1. Congleton managed a late consolation, but the result was never in doubt as the Dabbers stormed to victory.
The standout performances came from the trio of Fallon, Buckley-Ratcliff, and Hatton, who each netted a brace. Fallon, sponsored by the NTISA, and Buckley-Ratcliff, backed by Wrightsure Insurance, showed their class, while Hatton, sponsored by SugaRich, demonstrated her impact off the bench.
Goalkeeper Niamh Harding also made her home debut, impressing with a composed performance between the posts.
Dabbers Starting XI:
- N. Harding
- N. Walker
- B. Davies
- H. Knight
- R. Davies (captain)
- P. Smith
- L. Bulkeley
- M. Ragdale
- A. Fallon
- L. Lander
- G. Duckworth
Subs: 12. A. Hatton, 14. J. Buckley-Ratcliff, 15. B. Harding, 16. K. Kulesza, and K. Towsend.
The result cements the Dabbers’ strong start to 2025 and highlights their determination to make a statement in the Premier Division this season.
Dan Mellor, Manager, Nantwich Town FC Women, speaking after the win said:
“Coming off the back of a 7-0 win last week against Congleton they were always going to come and change how they played and they made it difficult for us in midfield and we played into their hands by over committing and getting hit on the transition.
“Once they scored, it kicked us up the backside and we controlled things from then on. We were unfortunate to not be ahead of half time and as in the reverse fixture, we made changes at half time and we dominated the second half with some very well taken goals.
“I’m proud of my players, 13 goals in the 2 games in January and lots of positives to take into the second half of the season. We’ve now bettered our season from last year with 7 wins in a row in the league and the girls must take huge credit for that.
“We’ll work on things again in training this week and look to improve again in next week’s game.”
Fans can look forward to the team’s upcoming fixtures, listed on the official Nantwich Town FC website: https://www.nantwichtownfc.co.uk/all-women-fixtures/.
Stay updated with the latest news and highlights by following the Dabbers Women on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTFCLadies